Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to an apparatus and a method for cleaning a component of a substrate processing apparatus.
A variety of processes, such as photolithography, etching, thin-film deposition, ion implantation, cleaning, and the like, are performed to manufacture semiconductor devices. Among these processes, etching, thin-film deposition, ion implantation, and cleaning processes use dry processing apparatuses using gases.
In general, dry processing is performed in an airtight substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes various components, such as a chamber, a substrate support unit, a gas supply unit, a door for opening or closing the chamber, and the like.
During or after dry processing, a large amount of process gas remains on the components. As the dry processing is performed a plurality of times, a large amount of process gas is deposited on the components to act as a contaminant that contaminates a substrate. In the case where a large amount of contaminant is deposited on surfaces of the components, a processing space for a substrate may be uneven, and holes may be blocked. Furthermore, in the case where a contaminant is deposited on a surface of the substrate support unit on which a substrate is seated, the substrate may be abnormally seated on the substrate support unit, which may cause a failure in substrate processing.
Due to this, maintenance is performed to clean the components after the dry processing is performed a plurality of times. In the maintenance, the components are treated with chemicals. The chemicals may be solutions having properties of strong acid, such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid.
FIG. 1 illustrates data obtained by photographing a component before and after cleaning in a process of treating the component with chemicals. FIG. 2 illustrates graphs obtained before and after the cleaning in the process of treating the component with the chemicals. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, after being compared with before the cleaning, the component had a larger amount of carbon (C) content, and a content to act as a contaminant was further increased. Moreover, while a fluorine (F) content deposited on the component was reduced, the fluorine (F) was not completely removed, and efficiency in removing the fluorine (F) was insignificant.
This treatment method using chemicals has difficulty in completely removing a contaminant deposited on a component. Also, a surface of the component may be damaged by chemicals. In addition, in the case where a component is cleaned with chemicals, a large amount of waste fluid may be generated, and environment stability and much cost are required to treat the waste fluid.